Montgomery County recently got rave reviews for the group of open data websites it made available last December.

The county ranked first in the 2013 Digital Counties Survey, which does the rankings based on how well local governments use information and communications technology.

OpenMontgomery debuted last year with a collection of sites that allow residents to search employee salary figures, county contracts, budgets and other data sets meant to allow greater transparency and to encourage innovation, such as smartphone app development.

The county says it is using a private cloud to host the sites to save $2 million a year in operating costs. Last year, Montgomery added Chief Innovation Officer Dan Hoffman, who oversees planned pilot projects including, perhaps, a food truck program. The county set aide $150,000 worth of annual salary and benefits for the position.

“Montgomery County is tackling the issue of open data and transparency like few counties have, reaching for goals more common in big cities and state government,” according to a Government Technology magazine writer who recapped the Digital Counties Survey. “Backed by a mandate established through local legislation, the County launched a major open government initiative featuring a suite of interconnected websites designed to offer data sets and engage citizens in conversations, as well as bring them to the County’s mobility, transparency and accountability offerings.”